Prequel to Ordinary People
...ore of these games, what the hell were you thinking?” just then Cal grabs a belt from his closet and administers Buck’s punishment Buck gets punished a lot. He likes to push his limits to see what he can get away with and what he can’t. Maybe that’s why Beth has always felt close to him. Buck is more independent than Con, always has been, always will be. “Do you know where we’re going?” Buck shouts, “Of course I do. How many times have we done this before?” The weather has gotten worse within a period of minutes. The wind is definitely not perfect for sailing now. It is getting late and the sun has gone down, making it hard for them to see what direction they are heading. They are experienced sailors, but not in this type of weather. “What are we supposed to do now, captain? We don’t even know where we are!” This time they really did it. They got themselves into something they didn’t know how to get out of. The water is crashing on all sides of the boat. Now the rain comes. “Great, just when we think it can’t get any worse,” and Buck cuts him off with “Hey, we’re gonna make it! Now stop crying and help me!” They know they must get the sail down in these winds or something terrible could happen. Then it does. “Get it down, get it down! Oh shit, I think it’s gonna break!” They struggle with the sail but the winds are just too powerful. So many strange noises surround the two of them. The waves are overpowering their little sailboat. Then suddenly they hear a loud crack and water takes them both under. They gasp for air. “Buck! Buck! Where are you? Buck!” Buck resurfaces and grabs Con’s arm “Whatever you do, don’t let go of this boat! I mean it. I’ll be right back.” “Where are you going? Don’t go,” but Buck is already gone. The wind is ripping Con’s body back and forth over the upturned boat. It hurts so badly to hang on, but Con always does as he is told. Everything around him seems so fierce, dark, and unforgiving. The sky is swirling with dark circles above his head while the waves are destroying everything in its path. Suddenly something is touching his arm, “Didn’t think I was coming back, did ya?” It is Buck with a little smirk on his face. “Shut up, it’s not funny, Buck!” “Okay, sorry. You’re right, it’s not funny. Hold on as tight as you can. Promise me? You hear me?” “I hear you. I promise. You hold on too.” The water is getting very cold while Con and Buck hold on to their only chance of survival. “They have to be looking for us, don’t they, Buck?” “I’m sure they are. We’ve been gone for over three hours and they must know about the storm. I’m sure they have boats out looking for us right this very minute. Just hold on. They’ll be here soon.” “I hope so,” and they just stop talking. Con notices that he can no longer feel his fingers and his hair is covered in little chunks of ice. The storm has lifted a little, but the icy rain is still pouring down into the deep dark waters. A large boat startles Con out of his trance. “Hey Buck, wake up! You were right, they rescued us!” There is no answer. “Buck! Buck! Buck! Oh God, where are you? Buck!” The men from the rescue boat pull Con from the icy waters onto their boat. “Where’s my brother? Where’d he go? You have to find my brother! Please find him!” “I’m sorry, son, we haven’t found anyone else, but we’ll keep looking. Why don’t you get yourself a blanket?” “I don’t need a goddamn blanket! I need my brother!” Con begs the men to continue to look for Buck but their orders are to take any survivors to shore. Beth and Calvin are waiting on the dock when the police rescue boat pulls up. A Policeman helps Con get off the boat while he signals to the others to continue with the search. Cal embraces Con in a hug and then Beth asks, “Where’s Buck? What happened, where’s my son? Where’d he go?” “I’m sorry, m’am. We found the boat overturned and he was the only one onboard. We are going to continue to search until we find him, I promise you that.” “What do you mean until you find him! I can’t believe this. What happened out there? I just don’t understand. How did this happen to us?” “I think it would be a good idea to get your boy to the hospital before he gets frostbite. We will contact you if anything turns up.” Neither one of them know what to do. Beth and Cal are stunned into silence. They are not even able to cry. Emotion is something that is very hard for Beth to show, but this time it isn’t only her. On the way to the hospital Con is the only one who speaks. “I’m sorry, mom and dad. I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Over and over he keeps on repeating those words. “I didn’t mean to let him go. I didn’t want him to go…I didn’t know. I’m so sorry,” he moans as he buries his head in his hands. Everything is okay with Con at the hospital so they get a hotel room and wait for any news regarding Buck. Two days pass before anyone contacts them. The phone rings and there is an empty silence in the room. Despair. They all know what this phone call means. Cal picks up the telephone, “Hello?” “Is this Calvin Jarret?” says the voice on the other line. “Yes, it is. Who is this?” “This is Detective Homes. I am calling about your son, Jordan. We found a body in the lake this afternoon and we were wondering if you and your wife could come down and ...